Automatic cooking devices



June 9, 1959 .1. A. MAFFEI ET AL 2,389,786

AUTOMATIC COOKING DEVICES Filed July 20, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 z SIT 8 R: 2m M 1 n m. M H n km N m W H w w 3 k p I Mn 4 \SMW H m 5% 5 w 2 6 a m H v F June 1959 JQA. MAFFEI ET AL 2,889,786

AUTOMATIC cooxmc DEVICES Filed July 20, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n If I IN VEN TORS. JZ/MI MHFFIE/ AUTOMATIC COOKING DEVICES John A. Maifei and William H. Lautz, Torrington, Conn.

Application July 20, 1956, Serial No. 599,268

7 Claims. (Cl. 107-60) The object of our invention is to provide a structure in which an oven is loaded automatically, the contents subjected to the desired treatment during passage therethrough and then unloaded, the cycle of events being successively accomplished for any desired period.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of this type in which the duration of the cycle is predetermined by setting the drive at a certain speed by means for manually adjusting said speed.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of this type in which a rotatable element has its speed of rotation set in timed relationship with the means for feeding and clearing said rotatable element.

Another object is to provide an oven with a driven turntable adapted to receive a predetermined load at spaced intervals from an outside element synchronized with said table and with means for opening and closing the oven door through which loading and unloading takes place.

Broadly, the invention comprises an oven, a rotary table therein and means for automatically loading and unloading said rotary table through an oven door having its actuating mechanisms synchronized with the drive for said table to carry out a continuous supply and discharge operation.

A practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 represents a top plan view of an oven embodying the invention, the upper portion having been removed;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1, showing the driving mechanism for the several parts;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the driving means shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation also on an enlarged scale, of the means for actuating the loading and unloading arm for the rotatable table and opening the oven door;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of one cam used in the apparatus of Figs. 3 and 4 for actuating the loading and unloading arm;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the cam shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a side view of a second cam in Figs. 3 and 4 related to the operation of the oven door to permit the loading and unloading operation therethrough; and

Fig. 8 is a front view of the cam shown in Fig. 7.

Referring to the several figures of the drawings, an oven 1, comprising top and side walls, has a bottom 2 provided with an extension or supply platform suitably secured to its outer edge and a base of any well known or approved design such as the depending walls denoted generally by 3, terminating in its own base 41.

Projected through the oven bottom 2, is a rotatable vertical reducer shaft 4, having a table 5 mounted thereon at its upper end so as to be rotated therewith above the oven bottom 2 when said shaft 4 is driven through the action of belt 6 and gear reducer 42. The gear renite States Patent 0 ducer 42 is of well known construction and shaft 4 forms a part thereof and protrudes upwardly therefrom. Belt 6 also engages cone shaped sheave 8 mounted on the motor shaft. Motor 7 is mounted on brackets 10 which are adapted to travel along the horizontal screw 11, said brackets being internally threaded to engage screw 11 which is mounted in upstanding arms 12, 13 on the base 41. The brackets 10 are so constructed as to extend laterally to the sides of the apparatus to a longitudinal shelf (not shown) whereby said brackets are prevented from tilting on screw 11. Screw 11 may be turned by crank 14, causing the brackets 10 carrying motor 7 and sheave 8 to travel longitudinally thereof to vary the driving diameter of sheave 8 and, therefore, the speed of belt 6, table 5 and also the cam mechanism hereinafter described.

As sheave 8 which comprises a pair of opposed relatively movable cone shaped pulleys, such as is well known in a Reeves drive, is moved by its travel with brackets 10 on screw 11 a greater or lesser diameter of the cone-shaped sheave is presented to drive belt 6 thereby causing the reducer 42 to be driven at greater or lesser speeds depending upon the diameter of the section of sheave 8 engaged by said belt. The ensuing rotation of reducer 42 is transmitted to belt 17 and, thereby, to shaft 16.

Motor sheave 8 drives reducer pulley 43 mounted on the input shaft 44 of reducer 42, land pulley 43 on the output shaft of reducer 42 drives belt 17 running over a pulley on shaft 16, said shaft carrying cam 18 which is shaped and located to engage roller 19 of arm 20 on its outer surface as shown in Fig. 4. Cam 18 is termed the door cam and serves to raise and lower oven door 40 as will be hereinafter described.

Also mounted on the opposite end of shaft 16 is the arm cam 22 having its outer circumference engaged by roller 23 carried by boss 24, on arm 25 which, in turn, is keyed at 26 on horizontal shaft 31. The latter is rotatably mounted in frame 27 and carries a circular bevel surface gear, or segment, denoted by 30 which is actuated by the motion imparted to shaft 31. Said gear 30 is operatively engaged with bevel pinion 29 carried by vertical sleeve 38 hung from a horizontal arm 37 of the mounting frame 27. The sleeve 38 carries the S-shaped arm 32 pivoted thereon at 33 so as to be horizontally swingable over the upper surface of bottom 2 for purposes described below. While the ends of arm 32 are identical in configuration they are given different numerals 34, 35 to clarify future description.

Normally, a spring 39 is attached to frame 27 and arm 25 to insure the continuous and proper engagement of roller 23 with cam 22.

The roller 19 as it follows the periphery of cam 18 successively riding the high and low sections thereof causes its arm 20 to reciprocate vertically to carry with it and open and close a sliding oven door denoted by 40 connected thereto by spot welding or other well known means or merely located to engage the lower edge only of said door by abutting same to raise it. Ann 20 slides through bottom 2, the overlying edge of the supply platform and sleeve 38 which carries arm 32 on its upper end, sleeve 38 being rotatable through bevel pinion 29 carried thereon to swing arm 32 at predetermined intervals through the opening normally closed by the vertically movable oven door 40 which normally slides in tracks 45.

The motion imparted to arm 32 is derived from the crank action of shaft 31 which rocks gear 30, meshed with pinion 29; the latter being the controlling factor of the motion of sleeve 38 carrying arm 32.

As roller 23 rides the surface of cam 22 (shown in Fig.

3 3), the cam is rotated through a cycle during which the high of said cam urges the roller to its fullest travel, rocking gear 30 turning pinion 2 9 and sleeve 38 to swing arm 32 carried by sleeve 38 beneath the open ovendoor to furnish or remove a unit to the table 5.

To operate the device, the oven is raised to the desired temperature by any well known or approved means (not shown). A supply of units to be treated in the oven are. placed in position to be engaged by the end 34 of arm 32. The driving mechanism is actuated by starting motor 7 so that belts 6 and 17 driven thereby cause shaft 16 carrying pre-set cams 18 and 22 to rotate and actuate arms 20, 25 through their rollers riding on said cams, as well as driving reducer shaft 4 carrying rotatable element located above bottom 2.

When the driving mechanism has been started and the desired increment of rotation of table 5 completed, the oven door 46 is caused to be opened through the action of its arm 2%), arm end 34 is swung through the opening to supply a unit to the space vacated by the action of arm end 35 which swings through the opening to remove a treated unit. Obviously, the exact replacement of units as to space and number is not essential to the satisfactory operation of the invention. The cycle of events set forth above will continue as long as there is an adequate supply of units to arm end 34.

It will be noted that the cams 18 and 22 are timed to operate so that as the oven door 40 is raised the removal and supply of units takes place automatically and the door is then again closed.

Since the driving speed of the elements can be adjusted so. as to secure the most efficient period of operation for the complete cycle as desired, a single adjustment changes the time to complete a cycle.

It will be seen from the foregoing that we have provided a novel structure in which an oven may be automatically supplied and its contents removed in a continuous cycle as long as an adequate supply of material is furnished to the swingable arm.

Since it is evident that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention, We do not intend to be limited to the specific embodiment herein shown and described except as set forth in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus of the character described comprising an oven, a door mounted thereon for movement into an open position, a rotatable element horizontally disposed in the oven for supporting and advancing articles to be processed, a swingable arm adapted to be swung over said element, and means for actuating said door, element and arm in timed relationship to open said door and cause said arm to supply and remove articles from said rotatable element While the door is open.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the last named means includes a common drive therefor.

3. An apparatus of the character described comprising an oven, a door mounted thereon for movement into an open position, a rotatable element horizontally disposed in the oven for supporting and advancing articles to be processed, a swingable arm adapted to be swung over said element, and means for actuating said door, element and arm in timed relationship, said arm being swingable past said door when the latter is in open condition to supply articles to be processed to said rotatable element and remove processed articles therefrom.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, in which the door and arm actuating means include cams mounted in predetermined relationship on a common shaft.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, which also includes a supply platform under the swingable arm and located in the same horizontal plane with the rotatable element disposed in the oven. 7 x

6. An apparatus of the character described comprising an oven, a supply platform therefor, a swingable arm located above the platform, a slidable oven door, a rotatable element horizontally disposed in the oven, means for rotating the latter, and other means for actuating the door and arm, said last named means including a pair of cams mounted on a common shaft, rollers riding on said cams, and elements carrying said rollers andconnected with said door and arm whereby the latter is svwing across said rotatable element only when the oven door is open to supply articles to be processed to said rotatable element and remove processed articles therefrom.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, in which the means for actuating said door and arm also includesa motor for driving said common shaft and a device for connecting said motor to and varying the speed at which said common shaft is driven.

Merritt et al. June 29, 1 930 Dawson June 18, 1935 

